A3.Ethan looked at her with wide, unblinking eyes, his mouth open as if trying to understand how a person could exist without a name.

By the end of her first week at the Cross estate, the girl had been given a room of her own on the second floor—a sunlit bedroom with high ceilings, a soft canopy bed, and windows that looked out over the private gardens.

Yet, she slept on the carpet floor beside the bed every night.

When Mrs. Gable discovered her tucked into a ball on the rug on the third morning, holding a single throw pillow to her chest, the housekeeper’s heart broke.

"Why aren't you sleeping in the bed, child?" Mrs. Gable asked gently, kneeling beside her.

"The bed is too soft," she whispered, her gray eyes staring at the floor. "It feels like I'm sinking into nothing. If I sleep there... I won't hear them coming."

When Harrison learned of this, he didn't force her into the bed. Instead, he had a firm, comfortable daybed placed near the window, dressed in simple linen sheets, and left a small nightlight burning by the door.

He also brought in investigators.

Sitting in his private study on Friday afternoon, Harrison met with Vance, his chief of intelligence and legal security. Vance laid a slim paper folder onto the mahogany desk.

"We ran her prints through the state registry, child welfare services, and missing persons databases," Vance reported, his voice clipped. "Nothing came up in Massachusetts. But we got a hit from an old report filed three years ago in upstate New York."

Harrison opened the folder.

A photograph fell onto the desk. It showed a younger, smiling girl standing between a man and a woman in front of a modest farmhouse.

"Her name is Maya Vance—no relation to me," Vance explained. "Her father was a mechanic named Thomas Vance. Her mother died when she was five. Three years ago, Thomas was killed in an industrial accident at a plant owned by Sterling Enterprises."

Harrison’s eyes narrowed at the name. Sterling Enterprises. The CEO of Sterling Enterprises was Julian Sterling—Harrison’s fiercest rival in the Boston financial sector, a man known for his ruthless acquisition tactics and complete lack of ethics.

"What happened to the girl after her father died?" Harrison asked.

"Her father’s brother, Richard Vance, took custody of her to claim Thomas’s life insurance policy and the settlement from Sterling Enterprises," Vance said grimly. "Once the money came through—roughly eight hundred thousand dollars—Richard abandoned the farm, moved to Boston, and spent the cash on gambling and drugs. According to street informants, Richard treated the girl like a servant until she ran away eight months ago into the Boston winter."

Harrison closed the folder with a heavy, deliberate snap. His expression was utterly devoid of mercy.

"Where is Richard Vance now?" Harrison asked softly.

"He's living in a rundown apartment in Roxbury, working as a low-level enforcer for a underground gambling ring," Vance replied. "Technically, he still holds legal guardianship of Maya."

Harrison stood up, walking to the grand bay window that overlooked the courtyard. Down below, Ethan and Maya were walking through the garden. Ethan was pointing at the marble statues, while Maya walked beside him, wearing a soft cream sweater, her hair shining in the weak winter sunlight. She wasn't smiling yet, but the fear in her eyes had begun to thaw.

"Fix it," Harrison commanded quietly. "Prepare the legal adoption papers. Transfer five million dollars into a private trust under her name. And Vance..."